My mother moved here from Montana. Every winter she moans, “Let

the snow stay in the mountains; I’ve had enough snow to last a lifetime.”

Well I sure haven’t. This year she got her wish, not me. No snow in the Valley.

I was born here and I love it when it snows. Snow in the Valley is a

free holiday. No one can get anywhere. Even if you know how to drive in

the snow, (yeah, you in the ditch), no one else can. Why bother? Stay home

and have some hot chocolate, with just a tug of peppermint schnapps. Then

I dig my inner child out of the closet and go sledding in the back yard.

With no snow in the Valley, this year I headed to the mountains to

get my sledding fix. It was time to investigate the Sno-Park system

on Snoqualmie Pass. But, before you even think of getting in the car,

you have to do a little preparation.

First spend all morning trying to locate all of the winter stuff that

you shoved into various closets. Hand down all the stuff that doesn’t fit.

Try on your old snow pants and remark about how they magically

shrunk without being washed. Locate eight gloves for eight hands. Resign

yourself to the fact that the kids will not wear them, but if you do not have

their gloves they will howl about it all day.

Toss in snacks, juice and a couple of big garbage bags, and you are

ready to go. Head east. Turn back around and go home and get the sleds. Again,

head east to the North Bend Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie Ranger Station located

at the edge of town on S.E. North Bend Way. For eight bucks you can buy

a day use-pass for the Sno-Parks. Do not buy a season pass. They are $40

because you have to have a Sno-Park permit

and a groomed trail sticker. I will not go into a narration about

why you have to buy a sticker to park in a Sno-Park when you already have

a Sno-Park permit to park in the Sno-Park. That will have to be another

column. Anyway …

Hop on Interstate 90 eastbound and go for snow. For the kids, the

best place hands down has to be the Hyak Sno-Park. Go past the summit exit

and on to Hyak Exit 54. Take a sharp right and then an immediate left

(towards the DOT). When you get to the DOT property, go right again (there are

at least six signs saying do not enter at the DOT entrance). Follow the

signs for the John Wayne trail head and boat launch. This will end at a parking

lot. On your left is a great sledding hill.

Inner-tubes, sleds and those funky sledding saucers work really

well. There are bathrooms that are HEATED! And they are large

enough to change in. We went late in the day. Got there about 2 p.m. That was

plenty of time. After about an hour or so of hauling the little darlings up the

hill, you have had enough “fun” for a

day. We also explored the forest and made a fort and my ever lovin’ husband

and I engaged in a little marriage therapy. Something about shoving snow

in each other’s faces goes a long way toward forgiving those little sins

we commit against each other all year long. When the snacks were

snacked and the drinks drunk, it was time to head for home.

We stuffed all the wet clothes in the garbage bags so when we got

home we just shoved it all in the dryer. We brought the kids pajamas for them

to change into, but really, you can take them home “nekkid” with a

blanket. On the way home we took a moment to thank the lord for cell phones

and called ahead to have dinner “to go” waiting at a local restaurant.

Stopped and picked up food and a movie then off to home. After an afternoon of

sledding the little darlings are pooped and ready to snuggle in and vegetate.

So are we.

A snow day consists of more time in packing, driving and

unpacking than in actual snow time. That is one of the reasons it is better when

is snows down here. If mother nature does not cooperate, it is all well

worth it to drive to the mountains. Anything that wears out my kids and my

inner child is my idea of a perfect day. I think it is time for that hot

chocolate and schnapps.

PPP

Update on Surface Water Management Expanded Fee Area:

As small business owners and individuals are now getting the atrocious

bills for the expansion of the Surface Water Management into rural

King County, a cry of foul is finally being heard in the King County

Council chambers. Of course our own Louise Miller cannot hear a thing, as

anyone who read her guest editorial in the Valley View can attest. Ms. Miller

tried to justify the late night passage (before I-695 could take effect) of

this flawed program as a necessity to provide service in the Valley. We are

to believe that water-on-road complaints and erosion caused by new

construction are not the responsibility of the King County road maintenance

department or DDES.

According to her we had to have a NEW tax to get any service. Of

course she ignores the fact that this new tax goes mostly to recordkeeping and

basin steward programs, not to actually fixing anything. She also ignores

the fact that the King County council has been taking funds that were

supposed to be used to maintain the river levy system to pay for things like

the county’s Surface Water Design Manual.

Although claiming in her editorial that she participated in many

community meetings, she did not attend the one in her own district held at

Tolt Middle School. Had she done so, she would have realized that the way

the tax was assessed for businesses (impervious surface areas include

gravel roads) was grossly inappropriate in a rural setting.

As of Feb. 24, Chris Vance and David Irons Jr. had introduced

measure number 2000-0163 to the Council of the Whole. It would repeal

the expansion SWM to rural King County and cancel this year’s assessment.

Also signing on are Jane Hague, Kent Pullen, Rob McKenna and Pete

von Reichbauer. They might have enough votes to pass the measure, but

Ron Sims may defeat it. Then it would have to get nine votes for an

override. Please call or write all members of the King County Council and Ron

Sims asking them to repeal this misbegotten useless program.

Kate Russell lives between Carnation and Duvall. You

can reach her at KATEMO1@MSN.COM.